Self-inflicted Wounds

1 year ago

As mentioned early, a “blighty wound” is a wound serious enough to warrant sending a soldier home. With the prospects of being killed or disabled in warfare, soldiers sometimes hoped for a blighty wound, and some even took the matter into their own hands. Some soldiers shot themselves in hopes of ending their service in the frontline. This was a capital offense, and, for some countries, a man might face execution for this crime. However, this was a risk many were still willing to take, and attempts at blighty wounds continued throughout the war.

In more extreme cases, some soldiers became unstable and were not able to handle the trenches. They killed themselves rather than continue on, or let themselves be killed by the enemy